A lot of us who have pets—dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, fish, lizards, or whatever—tend to think of them as family, if not children with fur, feathers, or scales. Even then, as much as we love our pets, we can all tend to get swept up in our day-to-day work, errands, and activities. This can sometimes make it difficult to truly appreciate our pets, especially if we only see them as additional responsibilities on days that are particularly hectic. Thanksgiving seems like the perfect day to remind everyone of everything that our pets actually do for us.

If you ask people what they enjoy most about their pets, the typical answer is that it’s nice to have a happy face always there to greet them upon returning home. Since that’s something we can all seem to agree on, I wanted to delve deeper into what makes pets so special to our lives, my hope being to get us all thinking more about why we should appreciate them throughout the year instead of just at Thanksgiving.

At Executive Pet Services, we obviously have an innate love of animals that compels each of us to do our jobs. A person lacking that passion would likely find themselves too burned out from a day of constant animal contact to truly enjoy their own pets when returning home. So who has a better appreciation for their pets than those on the Executive Pets Services team?!

Pet Care Specialist Makenzie cited unconditional love as one of the top reasons she is grateful for her pets, both receiving and providing it. Her cats taught her a lot about patience, which, in a fast-paced society like ours where we’re used to getting everything instantly, is becoming a gradually rarer virtue. As Makenzie explained, cats can have a tendency for bossiness and wanting things done their way, which means, as their humans, taking the time to learn their different personalities and figuring out the best ways to work with them. Along similar lines, Makenzie felt that learning about personal boundaries from her cats helped her learn the importance of respecting boundaries in human relationships.

Some people are solely “dog people” or “cat people,” but Makenzie is an equal friend to both. Though the animals often display distinctly different behavior, Makenzie has learned as much from her dogs as she has her cats. She credits her dogs as helping develop her personal growth as both a child and an adult. She found that sharing a home with dogs often feels like sharing a home with human kids, as dogs require a same sense of work, patience, and teaching as children do. Makenzie expressed how utterly rewarding it is to watch a dog succeed at a new trick or command you’ve been working on together. Dogs wear their hearts on their fur like spots, and as Makenzie noted, the pride in their progress is evident when they get excited to show you what they’ve learned.

Brenton, Pet Care Specialist, owner, and leader of Executive Pet Services, discussed how his two dogs have helped shape his family. Like Makenzie, Brenton felt that his dogs taught him a lot about unconditional love, which has been a key factor in shaping his prosperous relationship with his fiancé, Ashley. When Brenton and Ashley lived in rural Ohio, they managed a farm, and their dogs, picking up on the cues of their humans and following their commands, helped them out with several tasks there, oftentimes lightening their workload as well as a human would be able to. In both the country and the suburbs, Brenton has enjoyed that his and Ashley’s dogs are not only excited when they return home, but clearly annoyed when they leave the house without them. To Brenton, it has been humbling and heartwarming to see his dogs care so much about his presence to an extent that was never matched by any of his past pets. One of his dogs, Bentley, even sounds like the Star Wars character Chewbacca when saying “hello.”

When Brenton and Ashley first brought their dogs home as young puppies, Brenton realized they were furthering their relationship by progressing from a couple to a family, as the dogs were their first “kids.” The dogs played key roles in helping them prepare for human children, testing them with the need to be raised with house rules and behavioral expectations. The dogs have since become companions and caretakers of Brenton and Ashley’s human kids, putting up with their toddler antics and providing gentle play with them. One of the dogs, Layla, demonstrates distress when the kids cry, helping Brenton and Ashley stay on the alert. Both Bentley and Layla have also shown they will protect the children if necessary, which became apparent to Brenton when they barked at a strange dog that approached the kids on a walk. This is something that has given Brenton better peace of mind.

As for me, Pet Care Specialist and human to two dogs and two cats, I definitely agree with Makenzie and Brenton about how vital my pets have been to learning about unconditional love. My oldest dog, Sheila, is seventeen and has been with me since she was a puppy and I was a ten-year-old child. She has been with me through several stages of life, helping me through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and even solidifying my commitment to my fiancé, Robert. Robert and I have been together since high school, and the first time Robert met Sheila, he was a little apprehensive when it came to dogs. She jumped up to greet him and he turned away, but as the two got to know each other over the next few years, they came to acquire a deep affection for each other. I even think Sheila may have come to prefer Robert to me, which is fine because I’m just happy to see she loves him as much as I do. Robert, meanwhile, has gone above and beyond to help and protect Sheila, from cooking her various meals to appease her picky appetite to rushing through traffic to get her to the emergency vet when she was injured.

In addition to how many ups and downs Sheila has been there for with me for so long, all of my pets have provided unbeatable companionship that I don’t experience with humans. I’ve always been an introvert and a creative writer, and as such, I often find that I have limited energy when it comes to people. There are plenty of people I like and enjoy, but social interaction is genuinely tiring for me, and after a while, I need to be alone to do my own thing and “recharge.” This is an ongoing internal conflict, as I don’t want to be lonely, but don’t want to have to focus on conversation. Living with dogs and cats allows me to enjoy a sense of love and bonding without depleting my energy. My pets don’t expect anything of me other than food and the physical interaction of cuddling and play. They even help ease my anxiety. My younger dog, Flash, and my younger cat, Jazz, both seem to be in tune with my stress levels, as they will often curl up alongside me when I’m in a particularly negative mood.

I honestly feel like I could write pages and pages about why I’m grateful for my pets. They do so much to enhance my life, and it’s clear from what people like Makenzie and Brenton said that pets have heavy impacts on others as well. Despite my life getting busier and busier, I consistently make a conscious effort to think about how happy I am to have my pets, especially as my childhood dog ages. It’s easy to forget that pets don’t live as long as people do, but my hope is that Thanksgiving will remind people of all that our pets truly do for us.

Small caged animals like rabbits and guinea pigs are often considered “starter” pets, as people tend to think of them as being low-maintenance creatures requiring little time and attention. People who have never had pets or who are looking for something for their kids to care for often get rabbits and guinea pigs under such assumptions. While it’s true that these animals don’t quite have the same psychological depth as dogs and cats, which live more prosperous lives when provided with regular affection and socialization, they are still not pets that can simply be fed and forgotten.

Whether or not getting a caged pet like a rabbit or guinea pig is the right move for you depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to test your caretaking abilities (or those of your kids’) with a pet that still requires some work but that you might not find yourself as attached to as a dog or a cat, a rabbit or guinea pig is probably a good way to go. However, if you truly just want an animal to have in the background that you don’t have to spend more than a minute a day with, you’re probably better off just getting a fish.

The problem with animals like rabbits and guinea pigs is that many people don’t realize how much maintenance they actually are until after acquiring them. This often leads to the pet getting neglected or rehomed, or the owner putting time, energy, and money into something that isn’t bringing them any joy. So if you’re thinking about getting a small animal, the following is a list of things to consider first.

1. Daily Care

Yes, you can probably set out a large amount of food or water for a rabbit or guinea pig and it’ll be fine for a couple of days. This doesn’t mean you should, though. Rabbits and guinea pigs are just as deserving of fresh food and water as dogs and cats. More importantly, if you don’t form a regular habit of checking their food and water, you’re more likely to become lax about it and go unintentionally longer periods without providing them these things, causing them to run out without your awareness. Additionally, things can happen to their food or water without you realizing it. If they use a water bottle, for example, the bottle can crack or develop a leak, leaving them bereft. If their water is in a bowl, the bowl can spill or end up sullied by the pet’s food or waste.

2. Cleaning the Cage

Perhaps one of the most tedious aspects of having a rabbit or guinea pig is cleaning their cage. In order to keep your pet healthy and to avoid a smelly situation for your home (which can quickly attract flies) the cage should be cleaned and the bedding changed at least every one or two weeks. Because changing out the bedding can be messy, it is typically more convenient to dump the old bedding in a bag outside to avoid getting it on the floor of your home. This is a much less welcome chore to complete during cold winters. The actual cage itself should also be wiped down before adding new bedding.

3. Cost of Supplies

People are often surprised by how much money goes into caring for a rabbit or guinea pig. In addition to a standard pellet-based food, these animals also should be supplied with timothy hay on a regular basis so that they receive proper nutrition. Then there’s the matter of bedding. The more often you change out the cage, the more often you’ll need to buy bedding. This can quickly add up, especially if you use two different types of bedding. For instance, some people will use a base of odor-control bedding with pine bedding on top. Then, of course, if you want to give your rabbit or guinea pig more than the essentials, you should buy toys, tubes, tunnels, and/or treats for their stimulation and enjoyment.

4. Letting Them Loose

One of the best ways to make your rabbit or guinea pig a true member of the family is by giving them time outside of the cage. If you do let them run around the house at all, however, you should keep in mind that, unless they are litterbox trained, they will probably poop and maybe pee as they go about. They may chew on cords, risking their safety, or other objects. Then, when you’re ready for them to go back in their cage, they may be difficult to catch, hiding under furniture and eluding your grasp. This is especially important to keep in mind if you leave your kids in charge of the rabbit or guinea pig.

So if you’re interested in getting a rabbit or guinea pig, but you lead a busy life, aren’t the best at forming consistent habits around the house, aren’t sure if you can afford the supplies, or if you don’t think your kids are up to the aforementioned challenges, then you may want to reconsider.

There’s a lot to love about our canine companions, but let’s be honest: there’s also a lot to be frustrated by. On the one hand, you have puppies, which, though at their most malleable, are typically at a dog’s most uncooperative point of life. On the other hand, you have senior dogs, which, though willing to listen to the commands they know, require patient handling in order not to set health concerns into motion. Then, somewhere in between because this can be seen in dogs of all ages, you have aggressive dogs that have yet to be dealt with properly, whether because they came from abusive households, their owners didn’t train them accordingly from a young enough age, or because they’ve been passed from home to home after being deemed a “problem pup.” In any of the aforementioned cases, the same rule applies: stay calm.

Now, you’re probably sitting there and snorting at that, thinking, “Easier said than done,” but my own experiences and research have prompted me to adopt staying calm as a sort of golden rule when it comes to canine behavior. One thing that dogs of all ages, breeds, and temperaments share in common is that they can sense and will respond to a human’s energy. An uncooperative puppy will not behave better because you become angry; it will only become confused or less inclined to do what you wish. A senior dog that senses your impatience will not move faster to pacify you; it will become more fearful and anxious. An aggressive dog that is territorial of someone or something, or suspicious of human contact, will see too much energy, including positive, excited energy, as threatening rather than endearing. The best approach you can take with any dog is to be calm.

Puppies

Puppies can be the most challenging to remain calm with, partly due to their abundance of energy and lack of training and experience, and partly due to our desire for such cute creatures to behave well so that we may simply enjoy them. The number of people who truly have no idea what they’re getting in to when choosing to bring a puppy home is humorously high. People tend to get swept up in how adorable puppies are and brush off the fact that they’re also a lot of work and require much attention and consistent routines.

So if you’re attempting to teach a puppy something new or enforce a habit to which it is resistant, one of the best things you can do is clear your mind before approaching the task. Set aside specific times to focus on these things rather than just tackling them as you find yourself available. If, for example, you try to give a puppy a bath or try to teach it to sit on your command within half an hour of returning home from a long day or work, you are already likely to set yourself and your puppy up for failure. You’re still irritated about what Johnny-in-the-Office said, frazzled from scrambling to meet multiple deadlines, or simply tired from being up early and busy all day. Give yourself a couple hours or so after work to eat a meal, vent to your spouse, or read or watch T.V. In other words, unwind. Even if you think you appear calm, a dog, even one so young and naïve as a puppy, can sense if you truly are not. They can feel it in your touch, see it in your body language, and hear it in your voice. At that point, they will either see your current state as something of which they can take advantage, or they will see it as something to fear.

Then, after you’ve begun handling your puppy during a Zen state-of-mind, it is important to maintain this tranquility. If the puppy is squirming too much and trying to get away while you bathe it, or if it tries to wander off or just stands there instead of listening when you say, “sit,” you must truly do everything in your power to maintain a blank mindset. If you feel frustration creeping in, dismiss it, reminding yourself that the puppy is learning and cannot help not knowing what to do. Remember that it takes time to teach a puppy anything, and that practice is still progress, even if it doesn’t seem so at first. Dogs thrive on consistency and routine, so the more used to your handling they get, the sooner they’ll do what you want. And if you find yourself getting too stressed or frustrated, you can always walk away for some time to calm down before trying again.

With a puppy, it’s better to stay quiet unless you’re giving it a command. Talking in any tone is a form of stimulation to a dog, whether it makes them fearful or overexcited, so the best way to prevent its stimulation is to exercise silence. Only speak when giving it a command, giving the command in a firm yet even tone, or when praising the puppy when it follows your commands. Likewise, keep your touch light. If your touch is tense, the dog will pick up on that. If the puppy keeps moving, continue to pick it up and gently set it down where you want it. Whatever you do, don’t touch the puppy with impatience at your fingertips.

Seniors

Senior dogs are generally quite cooperative unless they were never taught certain things or never had certain habits reinforced. Much like senior humans, however, senior dogs are more tired, sore, and slow moving than their younger counterparts. They are quicker to become grumpy and may be more obstinate about completing tasks that require their energy or cause them discomfort. While we would love to just let our senior dogs rest without disturbing them, sometimes we have to bother them momentarily in order to tend to their health and overall comfort, such as by trimming their nails, administering medication, etc. It can be difficult to get in the proper mindset for such tasks when we know they will give our older dogs stress, and after all the happiness our companions have given us over the years, we find ourselves feeling guilty to have to stress them out at all. At this stage of a dog’s life, we as their caretakers need to prioritize what does and does not need to be done with our canines. Baths and haircuts, for example, can start being abandoned after a certain point in order to avoid more detrimental distress.

Once you’ve established which tasks are and are not necessary any longer, remember throughout all handling that 1) even though your dog may not realize it, the small bit of discomfort you’re putting them through for a brief time will better their life in the grand scheme of things, and 2) their resistance to being handled is to be expected, no matter how good your relationship. If your senior dog develops a skin rash, for instance, you may need to apply an ointment to treat it, but your dog may squirm and try to get away. Staying calm and not getting frustrated while handling your dog and applying the ointment is crucial not only for keeping your dog calm, but for not hurting them accidentally in the process. If you’re too forceful, you could move a leg the wrong way and cause joint damage, or worsen pain in an arthritic area, for example. Some senior dogs can even experience a senile fit if put under too much stress in certain situations (most commonly when blow drying their hair in a grooming salon), which can cause seizures and long-term damage. Treat your senior dogs as carefully as you would senior humans and approach them with empathy rather than impatience.

Aggressive Dogs

While it can be difficult to stay calm with puppies due to their disobedience, or with seniors due to their physical deterioration, a dog prone to aggressive behavior can present the most challenges in staying calm, as they sway us to leave the realm of frustration and dip into the depths of fear. No one enjoys being frustrated, obviously, but it is much easier to move past frustration than fear. Some dogs are pleasant until triggered and surprise fear into us when we aren’t expecting it, removing the chance to prepare ourselves for a calm mindset. Conversely, past negative experiences with a sometimes-aggressive dog can cause us to approach them with fear even when we are prepared. Sometimes we do not experience this fear at an intellectual or emotional level, but it still manifests physically in the form of an elevated heartrate, uneven breathing, unsteady hands, etc. Even in these situations, the best course of action is to continue calmly.

Good dogs can become aggressive for several reasons, most often out of their own fear or some sort of territorial drive. Dogs may be territorial over food, toys, bones, particular people or spaces, and honestly, just about anything. Regardless, a dog that is territorial is still fearful, as it is afraid of losing something, whether that is something physical, a person, or control of a space. Some dogs are fearful of people who resemble a past threat in size, shape, or voice, or who move in a way they have associated with a threat. To counter the aggression born of this fear, you essentially need to establish yourself as unthreatening.

This returns us to the concept of maintaining a blank state of mind (blank but still aware). Try to get in this mindset before actually entering the dog’s space. If you feel frightened or anxious at all, think of mundane things that don’t elicit any negative or excited emotion. For instance, wonder whether you should eat chicken or steak for dinner, which food will be easier to make, what you’ll need to buy from the grocery store to make either meal, etc. If a dog is displaying threatening behavior, keep your movements slow, but act as if you aren’t doing anything unusual; it’s just another task of another day. Apply calming signals such as yawning and turning your face and body to the side. Take some time to let the dog get used to your presence before reaching for it (if you need to reach for it), and keep your reach slow and steady. Also keep in mind that dogs don’t need to smell your hand to smell you. If you’re within their space, they can already smell you. You may need to apply a muzzle depending on what your task is and how aggressive the dog is.

Once you actually begin interacting with the dog, don’t force your affection on it. Maybe scratch its ears or chin to show a fearful dog your touch is positive, but keep the affection light and minimal. If the dog is licking its lips, yawning, flattening its ears, or stiffening at your touch, then stop. Give it a brief chin or ear scratch once, then only touch it to the extent you need to in order to complete your task. Then, the next time you interact with that dog, try giving it another short ear or chin scratch, and go on with the rest of your task. Training fearful dogs not to be afraid and therefore to lose the aggression takes time and consistency, much like training a puppy to learn a command. The more positive interactions the dog has with you, the more it will trust you as time goes by.

Key Cs

Being calm with any dog is the key to coordinating successful outcomes for both you and the canine. In addition to being calm, being consistent and confident is also essential. Maintain regular routines and show the dog that you’re its leader (there to show it the way, not to dominate). Be calm, consistent, and confident in yourself, and the dog will be calm, consistent, and have confidence in you too.

Being a pet care specialist entails spending slivers of each day with different dogs and cats. Most of our visits last about thirty minutes, which means that we are only present for a small portion of the pet’s daily life. Oftentimes, we don’t get to focus on the “fun stuff” with these pets, like playing and snuggling (though we definitely do that when we’re able), as we are either helping reinforce their training, coming across as an authority figure rather than a friend to the animal, or we’re busy taking care of other tasks like preparing their food, replacing their water, handling their litterboxes, or cleaning up after messes they’ve made.

However, with the dogs and cats we do see on a daily or weekly basis, we still form a bond and get to know each animal fairly well, getting to witness the various habits and quirks that make up each pet’s personality. There are pets that have behavior issues we get to help correct, pets with unhappy pasts that we get to see come out of their shell, and pets who we start visiting as puppies or kittens and get to watch grow into mature dogs or cats.

This is where our job is most rewarding, especially if we play a particular role in helping someone’s animal evolve into a happier, healthier, better behaved companion. Some key clients that come to mind for myself include an Alaskan Klee Kai, a Whoodle, and a Beagle/Terrier mix.

The Alaskan Klee Kai I’m thinking of is a young dog that is crated during the day, meaning that it’s my job to release him from the crate to go for a walk. His breed is already very suspicious of strangers, and this particular pup dislikes when his home and his crate are entered. He used to react aggressively upon my arrival and my attempts to coax him from his crate. In order to get him to cooperate, I had to work on how I approached him. As time went on, I practiced exercising control of how I responded to him, and he gradually went from seeing me as a threat toward his space to seeing me as a friend whose lead he could follow. Getting him out of his crate was once a careful chore, but now, he happily leaves the crate whenever I open it and is eager to follow my commands. We are able to go for longer walks and even play upon returning when time permits. Not only has this progress helped me gain more confidence in handling dogs that display aggression, but I have watched him become better socialized, as he has become quicker to trust new staff members.

There is a Whoodle I began walking when he was only a few months old and I first began my job as a pet care specialist. Like many puppies first learning to walk on a leash, he would sit down and balk at my attempts to take him anywhere. Just getting him to the end of the street was a challenge in that he kept trying to resist walking where I directed. He would also jump up fairly frequently and would bite at the leash or pull on it with his mouth as if it was a toy. While his antics were funny and somewhat adorable, I had to ensure that I didn’t encourage this behavior or play back. Instead, I needed to show him that our time together was about walking at a steady pace. Now over a year old, this particular Whoodle has come quite far. He walks at an equal pace to mine in the heel position without pulling, sitting down, jumping, or trying to play with the leash. His progress allows him the opportunity to take a break from his crate each day to get outside and get some exercise while his family is at work and school.

Though she and her owner have since moved out-of-state, I used to walk a very sweet but shy Beagle/Terrier mix who was once easily overwhelmed when out in public with anyone but her owner. I learned when I began visiting her on my own that she was usually fine walking through her building but would freeze once getting outside, sitting down and planting herself while staring at me with wide eyes. Her apartment building was also located in a busy, noisy area with many restaurants, so several people were usually outside and various work trucks were always coming and going. After some months of showing her that she could walk in different areas with people besides her owner without anything negative happening, she seemed to gain more confidence in herself. She routinely followed myself and my other team members without hesitation by the time it came for her to move. I felt much better about her departure knowing that she had the ability to adjust to a new pet care specialist upon reaching her new home.

Getting to participate in a pet’s progress and form relationships with them is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of being a pet care specialist. While dogs and cats are not as complex as humans and we cannot communicate to the same extent, I imagine that the satisfaction derived from training and handling them is much akin to teaching children. Everyone may not truly understand the appeal of this job, but I think the idea of shaping better futures and enriching daily lives is one that resonates with many, regardless of on what scale.

Watching your pup get older can be rough, even if they manage to age fairly gracefully and with minimal issues. Your senior dog may have limited energy and mobility, and they likely spend more time sleeping. You may find yourself in a position where you want to enjoy the time you have with your dog, but you don’t want to put them in discomfort. This can be a frustrating situation, which is why I’ve compiled a list of ways to help you make the most of your time with your senior pup (yes, in my vernacular, all dogs are “pups,” no matter how old they are).

1. Walks

Perhaps you’ve given up on walking your dog because you think it’s too taxing on him or her. However, if your dog is spending more time sleeping and lying around, walks will help enable their longevity, loosening stiffness in their joints and maintaining strong hearts and lungs. True, you will probably need to reduce the length and frequency of their walks and slow their paces, but even just getting your senior to walk down the street can help them stay strong. Furthermore, your dog will likely enjoy and appreciate it, especially if they see that you’re patient enough to stay by their side at a slow stroll.

2. Wagon Rides

If your senior dog is unable to handle a walk or under orders from your vet to stay off its feet, find them a wagon! Get one that’s big enough for your dog to both sit and lie down in comfortably and pad it with blankets. Pull them around the neighborhood so they can enjoy the fresh air, the change of scenery, and the sights, sounds, and smells. Your dog will probably have fun getting attention from passersby and watching other people and pets.

3. Car Rides

Much like with a wagon ride, a car ride will give your senior the chance to leave the house, move with you without having to put stress on their body, and enjoy several sights, sounds, and scents. Keep in mind that your dog will not be able to stay as steady as they once could and may become nauseated more easily, so you will want to drive at a slower speed. Cruise different neighborhoods and stick to more residential areas, avoiding the highway and places with busier, more rushed traffic. Put on some upbeat tunes and serenade your dog as you drive. They will probably be the only one who doesn’t mind some car karaoke, being more likely to enjoy the positive energy you’re radiating in their company.

4. Photoshoots

You’ll never regret having an abundance of pictures of your dog. Even if you already photograph your pup on the regular, consider scheduling a special photoshoot with them. You can do it at home by having someone else take pictures of you and your pooch in various poses, or you can take your senior to partake in a photoshoot with a professional photographer. Professional photoshoots will give you high-quality pictures in both print form, which can be framed, and digital, which you can keep on a disk or flashdrive and upload as you please. You and your senior will get to have some memorable fun goofing around together, and imagine how special they’ll feel being the center of attention!

5. Shopping!

Take your dog to a pet store where they’re allowed to come in with you! In addition to getting out of the house, your dog will have fun exploring the different treats and toys throughout the store, along with getting to see other people and pets. Walk out with a new toy, bone, or treat and your pooch will be excited and grateful to go home with a present.

6. Ink Up

If you are someone who likes tattoos, why not get one in honor of your favorite companion? You can take a picture of your dog to an artist and have their face tattooed on you. Or, you can dip your pup’s paw in ink, press their print to paper, and have your dog’s pawprint tattooed. While this isn’t something your dog will understand, an ink representation of your senior may help you stay connected to them throughout your life, giving you a constant reminder of them and the wonderful memories you have.

7. Special Snacks/Meals

Let’s be honest…the best way to a dog’s heart is through their stomach. We live in an age where more research and thought has been put into creating foods that will be both healthy and enticing for your furry pal. There are countless recipes for dog-friendly cakes and cookies. You can find something at a store to bring home for your senior to enjoy or you can make something yourself while they watch and wait with anticipation. With this idea, keep in mind that sudden changes in diet can be trickier for a senior’s body to process, so be sure to consult with your vet beforehand and watch for any unusual symptoms your dog may display in the hours after eating. If you give them the right stuff, feeding your canine a new treat will bring them joy and excitement, and making something for them yourself can strengthen your bond with them.

8. Simply Be

This is the easiest and most surprising way to spend quality time with your senior: enjoy simply being in their company. Whether this is sitting by them at home while they rest or watching the sunset with them on a park bench, just being by your dog will make them happier than you realize. You might feel like being by them as they doze isn’t anything special, but your presence will mean the world to them. Falling asleep with your scent and knowing you’re at their side will give your dog peace and comfort. You can talk to them while sitting outside and, though they won’t know exactly what you’re saying, they’ll appreciate the sound of your voice. It’s understandable to think that it won’t make a difference being home or not if your dog will just sleep the whole time anyway, but to your dog, it’s a big deal, and if you pet, snuggle, or speak to your senior as you sit on the couch or on the porch, you’ll realize what a big deal it is too.

Every good dog parent wants the best for their pooch. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have responsibilities and passions pulling us away from our pups for several hours a day, or we would at least be able to bring them with us everywhere as we handle our human lives. However, we require jobs to, at the very least, allow us to provide financially for our dogs and their food, shelter, supplies, and medical needs. On top of that, we also need to, you know, pay our own bills, feed ourselves, and attempt to achieve self-actualization. We love our dogs, but many of us are simply unable to be home enough each day to ensure that their needs are truly being met. This is where hiring a qualified pet care specialist comes in handy. Having a trusted professional providing daily walks for your dog while you’re at work has several benefits, including but not limited to:

1. Exercise

Obvious? Sure, but not as much as you may think. Scheduling a professional pet care specialist to walk your dog each day ensures that your dog is experiencing a regular and healthy amount of exercise. Though it makes us feel bad, we can easily find ourselves too tired to walk the dog after a long work day, or we may have other tasks that take precedence, such as household chores, grocery shopping, transporting the human children, etc. Even if you do manage to walk your dog yourself after work, your attention span is likely to be stretched thin—a risk that is exacerbated by more mentally and physically demanding jobs. Awareness is not something you want to be lacking while walking your dog, especially in neighborhoods heavily populated by other canines (dog fights break out more easily and frequently than people give them credit for), or where there’s a lot of traffic and you are often crossing the road. Another issue you may not consider is substituting walking for sprinting. If you sit on a couch or stay stationary in your back yard while having your dog run back and forth repeatedly after a ball or the red dot of a laser pointer, you may actually be doing more harm than good. It seems like an easy way to make up for lost exercise, but straight sprints can often injure dogs and cause long-term joint damage. In actuality, domestic dogs are descended from their wild ancestors, which roamed vast areas of land and developed healthy hearts and lungs from trekking miles per day. Likewise, the dogs we currently call family are also much better suited to derive their exercise from walking than running, as this is the course canine evolution has taken. This is not to say that playing fetch or getting your dog to run is bad, just that it shouldn’t be done excessively in short spans of time in order to make up for a lack of walking.

2. Dispels Restlessness

How often have you returned home to find that your dog has chewed on some furniture or other items that aren’t their toys? Maybe you keep them crated and they’ve gnawed on the bars of their cage, making their gums bleed? Destructive and undesirable chewing is often a result of restlessness, which can occur if a dog spends too much time bored or alone. Dogs will even chew destructively as a way of “acting out,” expressing their frustration with you the way a toddler behaves badly when they want attention. A daily walk while you’re at work is a great way to dispel such restless behavior, keeping both your belongings and your dog safer. After all, chewing on the wrong item can not only be irritating for you as the owner of that object, but it can also be a source of physical harm and health issues for your dog. You don’t want your dog choking, getting sick, or damaging their teeth.

3. Promotes Socialization

Having someone outside of your family become a regular member of your dog’s life helps promote positive socialization for your dog. Such experience develops their ability to trust and accept others and gives you the opportunity to allow more people into your dog’s life without problems. The better your dog is with people, the more they can be a part of your life beyond the house. Your dog will also gain more general exposure of people and fellow dogs, though likely from a distance, while on his or her daily walks, and this will help enable your dog to be more comfortable in the world, reducing skittishness and increasing confidence. Though not as complex as humans, dogs still have an emotional capacity that is influenced by their social interactions or lack thereof. Dogs that have been surrendered to shelters, for instance, have often proven to become depressed, as they have lost the bond shared with their former owners and now likely receive minimal attention and interaction. A dog that is left alone at home all day may also experience its own semblance of anxiety and sadness, whereas a dog that is being taken for a walk during the time you’re gone gets to experience enough socialization to keep them in a more ideally balanced emotional state.

4. Additional Observations

You can love and care for your dog as much as you would a human child, but even the most attentive pet parent still misses things. Furthermore, dogs can’t speak up and tell us outright when something is wrong with them. They may still communicate, but not in our language, and not in ways that are obvious when we come home tired or stressed. If a human child is behaving oddly or moving strangely, we can ask, “What’s on your mind?” or “Is something hurting you?” With a dog, we can only observe, and this can be more difficult if the dog resists letting us touch or move them for proper scrutiny. Thanks again to evolution, most dogs are innately stoic, as wild dogs viewed humans and even other dogs as threats and hid pain out of fear of making themselves vulnerable. By having another set of eyes observe your dog each day, you allow the opportunity for someone whose awareness has not been compromised to interact with your dog and notice abnormalities in their appearance and demeanor. Such professionals can also offer the objective insight of an outside observer, who may be able to bring things to light that you wouldn’t realize because you’re used to whatever they’re pointing out and see it as normal, when it may actually be a problem.

5. Better Nail Health

The busier we get, the more difficult it can be to remember to get our dogs’ nails trimmed. This isn’t as big of an issue for those lucky people whose dogs are chill enough to let them clip their nails at homes, freeing them of the necessity of scheduling appointments with veterinarians or groomers to do the task for them. In addition to taking the time out of a busy day to call and make such an appointment and then drive to it, you must also have a time slot available that coincides with a vet’s office or grooming salon, and that can be equally difficult if the vet or groomer finishes their work day when you finish yours. Even if you do have the tools and ability to trim your dog’s nails at home, it’s still easy for such a task to fall to the wayside when trying to get a thousand other things done, in addition to finding a sliver of free time for yourself to relax. Many people don’t even realize, however, that walks (on sidewalks, roads, and hard surfaces, not grass, of course) help trim and shape dogs’ nails. While daily walks shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to regular nail trims, they do help reduce the frequency and necessity of them. In addition to avoiding snagging and tearing a nail, maintaining nails also aids in preventing painful paw arthritis as dogs age, and regular walks help keep nails trimmed properly.

These are only five benefits of enlisting the aid of a professional, licensed, and insured dog walker. We could tell you about more, but we’d much rather give you the opportunity to find out for yourself!

Written by: Kayla Kennedy, Pet Care Specialist, Executive Pet Services

Okay, Cleveland, much like in Game of Thrones, it is time for us to accept that winter is here. We’ve already seen snippets of snow and temperatures have shifted to the colder side of the spectrum most days. Not only do we need to be making preparations for our pets when they go outdoors, but we should also be on the alert for how the change in seasons will affect strays. Namely, I’m thinking of cats.

Dogs spotted on the loose are generally taken to shelters, adopted by those who find them, or at least taken in by those who find them until other living arrangements are secured. A loose cat, on the other hand, is far more common to see than a loose dog, and is usually seen as much less of a concern. Pet cats often wander outdoors and, since cats breed rather quickly, stray cats are a bit more abundant. Cats are generally also better equipped to live outdoors and tend to have a higher survival rate than dogs, making stray cats more prevalent.

During my senior year of college, I lived in an off-campus apartment in the alley of a small town brimming with felines. Cats roamed on campus, off campus—everywhere. It was not uncommon for me to return from class, work, or social events to find two or three cats sitting on my porch, only to scatter as I approached. It was as if they were having secret cat meetings to plot against the humans.

Whether they were actually scheming to dominate the world or not, the cats hanging out on my porch were never a concern for me. Once winter arrived, however, I had to watch out for cats that saw my car as a source of shelter. Not having a garage, I parked my car in the gravel driveway, which sat a fair distance from my porch, giving cats a comfortable berth to get near my car without getting near humans. I did more walking than driving, so I would often pass my car and see cats sleeping beneath it during the winter months, frequently nestled against the tires. Seeing this served as a reminder for me to, for the occasions I did drive, bend over and make sure the coast was clear before putting my car in motion. I made a point to do this every time I prepared to pull out of the driveway.

I’m also someone who is generally quite aware of my surroundings, and I have a tendency to worry more than many. I could only hope that everyone else in that town was aware enough to routinely take an extra minute to look under their vehicles.

In addition to looking beneath the vehicle, it is also helpful to give the hood of your car a hard tap before starting the engine. I did this as well during my senior year. After graduation, however, I had an experience with a coworker who was not accustomed to this habit.

I worked as a bather at a local dog grooming salon, where I eventually picked up more hours by cleaning the building early in the morning before everyone else arrived. One winter morning, I was taking out the trash when the first of the other coworkers pulled into her parking spot. I heard a weird noise as I took the garbage to the dumpster and my coworker waved me over to her car. It was clear once I got closer that the noise was a cat meowing in distress.

My coworker told me she’d heard the noise from inside her car as she was driving, but she hadn’t been sure what it was. We opened the hood to look for it and release it. Being an Ohio winter morning, though, it was still quite dark, so I ran inside to fetch a flashlight. We spent a few minutes shining the flashlight under the hood and under the body of the car, as we could still hear the cat meowing. After some searching, we eventually saw the outline of the cat dart off across the parking lot without ever being sure what part of the car it had emerged from. I wished we could have done more for it, but frankly, the cat was fortunate to be safe if it had been within the car after its engine had started.

Cats are known for being able to slip in and out of tight spaces, and if a car engine is running or has recently been running, the warmth will attract them. My coworker had probably started her car and let it run for a few minutes before getting inside so that it would be warm for her, and the cat had most likely seized its opportunity.

So if you keep your vehicle parked outside, or if you keep your garage door open for periods of time, please be sure to look under your car and tap its hood before getting going this winter. Such simple, quick little things can truly help keep the cat community safe.

Written by: Kayla Kennedy, Executive Pet Services Pet Care Specialist